biagioni@unc.UUCP (01/16/86)
In article <1029@lsuc.UUCP> msb@lsuc.UUCP (Mark Brader) writes: >That may be, but nobody has tried backwards seats on airliners hereabouts; >the safety improvements tend to be independent of passenger comfort matters. >I would certainly refuse to ride in one, given a choice. One of the things >that makes travel pleasurable for me is watching what goes by the window, >and I don't appreciate being forced to watch it recede rather than advance. > >(I'm not speaking hypothetically; I have traveled backwards, though not by > air. In Britain, and I think Europe generally, half the seats on trains > face backwards, and if the train is busy there may be no choice. For that > matter, similar conditions apply on the Toronto subway.) >Mark Brader I have traveled backwards too, and do so whenever I get a chance. European trains do offer the option of sitting with your back to the engine, if you prefer. That's one of the things I don't like about U.S. trains, you don't get a choice. Of course if the train is full you might not have a choice about whether to sit on the aisle or near the window, either, but that's beside the point. Since ultimately it is a matter of personal preference, I am surprised that U.S. trains do not take that into consideration. I would gladly sit backwards on planes if such seats were available, but I understand that for space reason that is unlikely to happen. Ed Biagioni decvax!mcnc!unc!biagioni seismo!mcnc!unc!biagioni
msb@lsuc.UUCP (Mark Brader) (01/18/86)
I'll try to keep this brief, since I'm including two non-railway groups. Further followups should go to net.railroad (or ARPA railroad list) only. In article <1029@lsuc.UUCP> I (Mark Brader (msb@lsuc.UUCP) wrote: > > [I don't like the idea of flying in backwards seats.] > > (I'm not speaking hypothetically; I have traveled backwards, though not by > > air. In Britain, and I think Europe generally, half the seats on trains > > face backwards, and if the train is busy there may be no choice. For that > > matter, similar conditions apply on the Toronto subway.) Edoardo Biagioni (biagioni@unc.UUCP) replied: > I have traveled backwards too, and do so whenever I get a chance. European > trains do offer the option of sitting with your back to the engine, if you > prefer. That's one of the things I don't like about U.S. trains, you don't > get a choice. ... > I am surprised that U.S. trains do not [consider personal preference]. I'm surprised to hear this about U.S. trains, because the great majority of coach seating on Canadian trains is reversible. The reason is not mainly consideration for passenger preference but eliminating any need to reverse the whole coach to make all the seats face forward, the way almost all people (here) like it. (I suspect that the origin of this difference between Europeans and North Americans is the (even) greater prevalence of cars here than there, by the way...) However, most Canadian trains are about 30 years old, and (shocking confession for net.railroad) I haven't yet tried the newer LRC's. I know Amtrak has replaced a lot of its older equipment, but I've generally only used Amtrak for sleeping-car-length trips lately. So how sure are you about the nonreversibility of seating in U.S. trains? Of course, reversible seats would not be practical in airplanes. Not any design I've ever seen, anyway. It has to be one way or the other. And I stand, or sit, by forward. Mark Brader
jis1@mtgzz.UUCP (j.mukerji) (01/20/86)
> That's one of the things I don't like about U.S. trains, you don't > get a choice. Of course if the train is full you might not have a choice > about whether to sit on the aisle or near the window, either, but that's > beside the point. Since ultimately it is a matter of personal preference, > I am surprised that U.S. trains do not take that into consideration. > I would gladly sit backwards on planes if such seats were available, > but I understand that for space reason that is unlikely to happen. Seats in the Amfleet II and Superliner coaches are reversible, but it is severely discouraged by the train crew!!! However, if you stick to your guns they usually let you do it and treat you like an oddity from Mars. Jishnu.
pete@valid.UUCP (Pete Zakel) (01/22/86)
> In article <1029@lsuc.UUCP> msb@lsuc.UUCP (Mark Brader) writes: > >That may be, but nobody has tried backwards seats on airliners hereabouts; > >the safety improvements tend to be independent of passenger comfort matters. > >Mark Brader > > I have traveled backwards too, and do so whenever I get a chance. European > trains do offer the option of sitting with your back to the engine, if you > prefer. > Ed Biagioni I have ridden backwards on the local BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) electric trains, and I find it makes me slightly dizzy and slightly nauseous (sp?). I don't know whether it would affect me the same way on an airplane. What I would like to know is: How much safer is it to fly seated backwards? to ride a train seated backwards? Compared to using four or five point seat harnesses riding forwards? How many lives would it save? compared to how many people fly? And is the dizziness, nausea general or is it just me? -Pete Zakel (..!{hplabs,amd,pyramid,ihnp4}!pesnta!valid!pete)